Insulating liquid seal



Feb. 19, 1935. H, J, H, HUBER 1,992,031

INSULATING LIQUID SEAL lued, Dec. 22, 1952 Inventor: Herman J. H. Huber,

by MW His Attorney.

Patented Feb. 19, 1935 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE INSULATING LIQUID SEAL HermanJ. H. Huber, Brookline, Pa., assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Application December 22, 1932, Serial No. 648,452 4 Claims. (01. 247-1) My invention relates to insulating liquid seals, insulating mounting and positioning means for more particularly to seals or stoppers for confinthe busbar 1 there is provided a seal or stopper, ing insulating liquid as oil to individual units or generally indicated at 9, forming an insulating, sections of metal clad switchgear of the oil-filled seal about the busbar. The insulating seal 9 5 type. 7 comprises a pair of cylinders or rings 10 and 11 5 In metal clad apparatus, as switchgear of the composed of a resilient insulating material. as aforesaid type, comprising individual factory built cork for example, concentrically disposed about units arranged to form a complete switching stathe busbar 1 and interposed between the same and tion. the enclosing metallic casings or housings for the enclosing casing 2. An insulating collar 12 10 the electrical conductors, busbars and associated bearing against a shoulder 12' formed by a re- 10 apparatus of each unit are generally filled with oil duced section of the busbar insulating coating 3 prior to shipment from the factory so that the as- Serves as a back g e be o t Q O rings 10 sembly in the field is reduced to a minimum. In and 11 so as to prevent movement of said rings view of the fact that similar units are interconlongitudinally of the busbar 1 in that direction.

15 nected to form the switching station, the individ- For the purpose of forcing the cork rings into 15 ual units must be provided with oil seals or stopfirm sealing engagement with the insulating coatpers for preventing loss of oil during shipment ing 3 of the busbar and the inner wall of the seand prior to connection of the units. Likewise in curing flange 5, a wedging member 13 composed of operation the insulating oil for a particular unit a suitable insulating material is driven between or section is preferably segregated from that of the cork rings. The wedging member 13 is an- 20 adjacent units so that loss or drainage of oil from nular in form as illustrated and the wedging surone section does not affect other parts of the stafaces thereof diverge from the opposite edges 13 tion. towards the center. A simple construction there- The principal object of my invention is the proof comprises a short length of an insulation cylvision of an improved insulating liquid seal or inder beveled at the opposite ends. By means of 25 stopper for metal clad gear of the aforesaid type. this construction the cork rings 10 and 11 when Referring to the drawing. the single figure driven against the backing collar 12 and into sealthereof isa fragmentary view. partly in section, of ing engagement with the busbar and enclosing a metal enclosed busbar or conductor provided casing close about the wedging member, by reason with an oil stopper embodying my invention. of the resilient character of cork, so that the 30 The metal inclosed conductor illustrated by wedging ring is substantially locked in position. way of example comprises a tubular conductor or There is, therefore, little danger of the wedge 13 busbar 1 composed of copper or other suitable working out from between the cork rings thereby conducting material disposed substantially cenlosing the seal. The width of the cork rings and 5 trally of the enclosing metallic casing generally the shape of the annular wedge is preferably re- 5 indicated at 2. The casing 2 contains an insulatlated as illustrated so that the widest portion of ing liquid, as oil, and the busbar l is provided with the annular wedge is near the mid portion of the an insulating coating 3 for the purpose of precork rings. This arrangement is effective to exventing voltage breakdown between the busbar ert sufficient radial pressure on the cork ring and an h enclosing Ca Which is generally to firmly lock the insulating wedge in poution. 4

- grounded. In the interest of clearness, the insu- Likewise the busbar'itself is firmly positioned lating oil is not shown in the drawing, it of course centrally of the casing 2 by the insulating seal 9. being understood that it fills the annular space Under certain conditions it may be desirable between the busbar and casing. to transfer insulating liquid or oil from one sec- 5 The enclosing metallic casing comprises a metionalized pcy'tion of the metallic casing to an- 5 tallic pipe 4, a securing flange 5 which is secu ed other. One way of accomplishing this comprises thereto, and a coupling housingor sleeve 6 which a valve controlled by-pass around the oil stopper is bolted as at 7 to the securing flange 5 and has 9 so that the oil from one section may be transpositioned therein an insulating cylinder 6. A mitted to another section. Such an arrange- 60 liquid seal between the aforesaid flanges is pro ment is generally indicated by the valve housing vided by means of the resilient gasket 8 which is 14 which forms a part of the securing flange 5 composed of cork or other suitable material. and is specifically disclosed and claimed in co- For the purpose of sealing the oil within the pending application Serial No. 648,451 filed conpipe 4 at the end illustrated, sectionalizing the oil currently herewith by A. S. Carlson for Metal 66 within the metallic casing and for providing an clad switchgear.

It should be understood that my invention is not limited to speciiic details of construction and arrangement thereof herein illustrated, and that changes and modifications may occur to one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of my invention.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is:

1. In electrical apparatus including an electrical conductor for high tension power circuits, a metallic casing enclosing said conductor and an insulating liquid contained within said casing, liquid sealing means comprising a pair of individual cork rings interposed between and concentrically disposed with respect to said conductor and casing, and a wedging member of insulating material disposed between said rings forcing the same radially into firm sealing engagement with respect to said conductor and casing.

2. In electrical apparatus of the metal clad oil-filled type including a conductor, a metallic casing within which said conductor is centrally disposed, and an insulating liquid contained within said casing, means for sectionalizing the insulating liquid within saidcasing and positioning said conductor therein comprising a ring of resilient insulating material interposed between and concentrically disposed withrespect to said conductor and easing, an annular wedge of insulating material disposed concentrically of said conductor and coacting with said ring, and an insulating collar mounted on said conductor serving as a backing member for said ring and wedge.

3. In electrical apparatus of-the metal clad oil-filled type including an electrical conductor, a metallic casing within which said conductor is concentrically disposed, and an insulating liquid contained within said casing, a liquid stopper and insulating mounting for said conductor comprising a pair of rings of resilient insulating material concentrically disposed about said conductor, an insulating collar mounted on said conductor serving to prevent movement of said rings longitudinally of said conductor in one direction, and an annular wedge of insulating material driven between said ring forcing them against said collar and radially into firm sealing engagement with said conductor and easing respectively.

4. In electrical apparatus of the metal clad oil-filled type including an electrical conductor, a metallic casing within which said conductor is substantially concentrically disposed, an insulating coating for said conductor, and an insulating oil contained within said casing, an oil stopper and insulating mounting for said conductor comprising an insulating collar mounted on said conductor and bearing against a shoulder formed by said insulating coating, a pair of cork rings concentrically disposed about said conductor, and a wedging member interposed between said rings forcing the same against said collar and into firm sealing engagement with the insulating coating on said conductor and said casing respectively.

HERMAN J. H. HUBER. 

